Free Wireless...Have you used it?

In case you didn't know, and judging by the lack of press releases/instructions on the city and KUA website you probably didn't, the city and KUA are testing a "mesh" network that offers free wireless Internet service in downtown Kissimmee and by the Kissimmee Gateway Airport.

So let's help them out a little bit with publicity and testing. If you're web surfing while enjoying a coffee downtown, or reading this blog while waiting for a City Commission meeting, or happen to have another cool WiFi device that you use downtown or at the airport, respond in the "comments" section telling us where you connected to the network and how the signal worked out for you.

You haven't heard?

Our number one e-mail request this week has been for more discussion of the recent Republican Executive Committee meeting. Has anyone not heard about this yet? Is there much doubt that, either voluntarily or not, the meeting will move to another "more private" location in the near future?

You make too much

News sources reported that Circuit City is laying off their highest-paid retail employees. We quote from the LA Times:

"Circuit City Stores Inc. has a message for some of its best-paid employees: Work for less or work somewhere else. The electronics retailer on Wednesday laid off 3,400 people who earned "well above" the local market rate for the sort of jobs they held at its stores. In 11 weeks they'll be able to apply for their old positions — which will come with lower hourly wages."

Which naturally begs the question...will the planned Circuit City store at Loop West, which became the poster child for protests from the nearby Eagles Reserve neighborhood, ever materialize? Circuit City certainly seems to be having corporate issues, and on a local level, the Best Buy store across Osceola Parkway from The Loop seems to be much further along in the building process.

Give me my spotlight back

A sidebar in the Orlando Sentinel reads, in part, "Candidates in the upcoming special election for County
Commission and State Representative will have a chance to discuss the issues at 5:30 p.m. April 12."
"As the only elected official who speaks Spanish, City Commissioner Carlos Irizarry said he is working to set up a meeting."

Comment: Just a guess, but John Quinones, Armando Ramirez, Darren Soto, and Anthony Suarez probably don't need Spanish-language assistance. Does this mean that Commissioner Irizarry is trying to "level the playing field" on behalf of Mark Cross, Joe Ed Day, Ken Smith, or Frank DeNike?

Hmm...

Silence of the Airways

With the impending fall of self important, political consultant Doug Gutzloe, will the Ax the Tax radio show and its gang of callers finally be silenced?

Word on the street is that our own local activist(s) / wannabe(s) will offer their ramblings, rumors, and innuendo.

Thank You

I/we would like to offer my/our thanks to all of you who have responded by email complimenting me/us on a job well done regarding the new blog. If you have been sent this link by a friend and would like to sign up for my/our email updates, simply send an email to wayne.who.cares@gmail.com stating so.

Is zoning cast in concrete?

Much as the City of Kissimmee recently indicated that an alternative school site was not appropriate for the Vine/192 commercial/retail corridor, the Osceola County Commission decided this week that the Kissimmee CRA's proposed site for relocation of the Rinker concrete plant was not an appropriate use of that land. Certainly in both cases, much staff time was put into trying to find a location for, shall we say, "challenging" projects. Hopefully there is an opportunity for learning here that best intentions and wishes do not overcome zoning regulations and community planning.

Food for Thought...

Re: A recent blog post describing a distaste for one official's point of view regarding a well known political consultant with "No Guts"...

Does having a blog mean that you're a more accurate political observer than having a weekly newsletter?

Let the readers decide.

The Audacity...

1. Why does a registered Democrat, think he can walk into a Republican party meeting and think he can be involved in the meeting? Kind of like why did he think that he could go to the Orange Gardens residents/members meeting/debate and ask questions?

2. RE: Mark Cross. Both sides are right, both sides are wrong. Apparently no one is asking Mark to leave the Osceola Republican Party, only the Executive Committee. And yes, he probably should leave the Executive Committee if he has elected to make an end run around the primary process to run for county commission. At the same time, the Osceola Republicans tend to actively support candidates who have been members of the Executive Committee even if there are other Republicans running, so maybe Mark was expecting that same level of support and when it wasn't forthcoming, decided that he needed to run NPA.

3. Why is a certain "local activist" demanding that Clare Dempster be removed from the Republican Party for (being accused of) writing an e-mail? Besides the fact that he's not a member of the Republican Party, doesn't that go against his argument from last year that he shouldn't have been removed from the Housing Advisory Board for writing a negative letter to the editor which reflected poorly on the City Commission? (Although the Commission said there were other reasons for the removal, his key point was that freedom of speech allowed him to write anything he wanted and continue to serve.)

Who should be in the business of building?

The Orlando Sentinel reports (3/26/07):
"Tower Realty Services is converting the Reedy Creek Inn on U.S. Highway 192 near Walt Disney World into a
condo complex called The Courtyards at Reedy Creek. The 360-room hotel will be transformed into 180 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments priced from $179,000 to about $300,000. The conversion should be
complete by August. The developers are pitching the project to Osceola County school district and government workers."


Comments:
1. If the private sector is going to produce housing targeted at the government and education market, do local government bodies really need to be trying to enter that business?

2. Is there a chance that any local government body could turn a project as quickly as a private developer could (announce in March, complete by August)?

3. If the price of the units is still too high, wouldn't there be much less risk to local agencies to help the
developer with grants to "buy down" some of the costs of the project, reducing the cost of the units, rather than trying to develop and manage their own units?